Latest News

RNLI Carlisle

The RNLI has evolved from a charity dedicated to saving lives at sea into an organisation of dedicated volunteers who also educate young and old alike about the dangers of being close to and in the water whether it be at sea or inland in rivers and lakes.
We have 237 lifeboat stations around the coast of the UK and Republic Of Ireland with some 349 offshore and inshore lifeboats, manned by nearly 8,000 volunteer boat crew and shore crew. Our lifeboats launch on average 23 times and rescue an average of 22 people each day of the year. Nearly half of these rescues take place in darkness and bad weather. 1 in 12 of our boat crew are women and only 1 in 10 are from nautical backgrounds so we provide training and personal safety equipment of world class standards.
Our Lifeguards patrol over 220 UK and Channel Island beaches with over 1,300 trained and highly capable lifeguards. Typically they attend 15,700 incidents each year, helping over 18,000 people and saving over 90 lives.

We also provide voluntary highly skilled and equipped Flood Rescue teams who work together with the Fire Brigade, Coastguard and Mountain Rescue Teams to help those at danger from flooding. A new team has recently been formed for Cumbria flood rescues, based at Workington Lifeboat Station. The 7 teams can reach anywhere in UK and ROI within 6 hours.
Around 170 people die on the coast or in the sea each year. We provide coastal safety advice to sailors, anglers and commercial fishermen with a target set in 2016 to halve the number of coastal fatalities by 2024, the bicentennial of the year in which the charity was founded by Sir William Hillary.

It costs some £460,000 per day to run the RNLI and we receive no Government funding, relying on gifts in wills (legacies) for about 64% of our funding and donations for another 31%, the balance being made up by income from RNLI Shops, investments and the sale of specialist services.
Our 20,000 volunteer fundraisers are the unseen heroes of the charity. Like the crew they also turn out in all weathers and selflessly give their time and pass on their experience in safety advice to the general public.

We in the Carlisle Branch are struggling to make the most of the generosity of the citizens of the Great Border City because our membership consists of a dwindling number of dedicated but ageing volunteers. We would welcome interest in volunteering from all ages but especially from younger people. All that we ask is that you commit to two hours each month at store collections and events. If you might be interested in joining our committee to generate new ideas for fundraising or to take on an officer role to gain some experience as a Chair, Treasurer or Secretary you would be most welcome and full training will be given. We are also keen to help raise awareness of the dangers inherent around the water to interested groups by giving presentations and light hearted talks in the workplace.

We are very grateful to Ken and Alastair Herd of A&K Herd for sponsoring our membership of the Ambassadors.